Wheeled vehicles propelled by foot power have been known for many years. In fact, self propelled bicycles have been available for nearly two hundred years. Initially, bicycles had only a frame and front and rear wheels and were propelled by pushing with the rider's feet against the ground. Improvements have been made in bicycles over the years. These improvements have included pneumatic tires for a more comfortable ride, pedals that turn one of the wheels, a drive chain and sprockets that powers the rear wheel, coaster brakes and hand brakes and countless other modifications to facilitate the ease and comfort of riding.
While bicycles have achieved considerable popularity over the years, bicycle's cousin the unicycle has not been as successful. A number of reasons may be postulated for the unicycle's lesser popularity compared to the bicycle. One of the primary reasons is that unicycles are not particularly easy to learn to use. Many children are introduced to tricycles at a very early age. The stability of the three wheels permits the rider to operate the vehicle needing only the ability to pedal. Children subsequently graduate to a "two wheeler", that is, an ordinary bicycle that has been stabilized by the addition of a pair of "training wheels" to the rear wheel. As the child matures, an age is reached, usually at about 5 years, when the child has developed sufficient motor skills and balance that the training wheels may be removed and a bicycle can be operated readily with only two wheels. Even so, for the initial few times a child uses a bicycle a parent or other adult's assistance is required to provide some balance and support until the child polishes his skills and makes the transition to the bicycle without training wheels.
Although unicycles have been around nearly as long as bicycles, unicycles are considerably more difficult to master. In riding a bicycle the balance that is needed is, generally, a side to side balance. Front to rear or fore and aft balance is provided by the pair of wheels. Unicycles, on the other hand, beside requiring the side to side balance of a bicycle also require front and rear balance. Anyone who has watched a person learning to ride a unicycle will attest to the difficulty in mastering the balance that is needed. Because fore and aft balance is necessary, the rider must be careful so that he is not pitched forward or backward while maneuvering. In view of the greatly increased balancing that must be learned and the required training time needed before one can satisfactorily handle a unicycle many potential users become frustrated by the difficulty. Compounding the problem is the amount of time the rider needs the assistance of an aide to help balance the unicycle during the learning process. Since assistance is needed for longer periods of time this makes it more difficult for the new rider to practice. Even after the training period has been completed, unicycle riders must concentrate more when riding the unicycle then ordinary bicycle riders to preserve balance. Frequently, a unicycle rider must move constantly and quickly to preserve balance when the unicycle is moving slowly.
Unicycles are also popular in many entertainment activities particularly circuses and variety shows. While unicycle riding is popular among viewers of these events, in many shows, the riding is limited to generally flat surfaces except for only the most advanced riders who have achieved great skill. The ability to go up and down steps and over separations in the riding surface such as a shallow crevasse or over obstacles placed in the path of travel is generally limited to highly experienced riders.
Unicycles can also be used for transportation or commuting by their owners. Unicycles, being much more compact than bicycles have an advantage in many urban settings. Frequently bicyclists must chain their bicycles to fences, poles and other available means to prevent theft. Unicyclists, however, can more readily bring their unicycle into an office in lieu of locking it outside thus reducing the risk of loss or damage from passersby or the weather.
The prior art discloses a number of designs for unicycles that claim to provide ease of use. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,351 discloses a unicycle with a training attachment which is comprised of a length of generally S-shaped metal tubing which is positioned over the wheel and in the plane defined by the wheel. The forward end of the tubing is turned upwardly to provide a handle portion in front of the seat. The remaining length of the tubing extends rearwardly and downwardly around the wheel to the level of the axle and then extends straight down to a distance above ground level to provide a support portion. A caster or other wheel may be provided on the end of the support portion.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 273,287 discloses a unicycle having a frame with a fork stem with a forwardly and upwardly extending tube or rod which is provided with a pair of handle bars at the terminating end of the tube.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unicycle that is easy to learn to use and which provides the user with increased stability and balance.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved unicycle where even riders with moderate experience using the unicycle can perform acrobatic type maneuvers with the unicycle such as travelling up and down stairs and jumping over obstacles in the path of travel.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a unicycle that is particularly adapted for travel or commuting since it is designed to be structurally strong when assembled yet may be readily disassembled to permit it to be stored and/or carried on for example buses, subways and other modes of transportation.